Tea Time
by RikerForgotHisGlasses
Summary: Male Byleth and Claude content for the starved. Rated T to be safe. Purely fluff.


Being asked to tea by the lord of Riegan house was a strange activity to be asked to but, here he was. Byleth could not remember the last time he had time to relax and sip a cup of tea, and he was quite looking forward to this date. He blushed at the thought. This could be considered a date, right? Surely the rare hand touches and dreamy-eyed stares from the lord could mean something? Byleth took a deep breath, regaining composure. One could not afford to dwell on "might be's." He would have to take this invitation to afternoon tea as friends meeting up for a chat. Just using the word friends made his heart twinge in sadness. Byleth shook his head, frowning at his behavior. It wasn't right to be feeling this way about a man, especially one of such status and especially not one of his students.

Walking through the halls towards Claude's living quarters, Byleth desperately tried to make this invitation be seen as anything other than a date. Another quick deep breath and he knocked upon the mahogany door. No sooner than his knuckles rapped against the wood, the door opened, and there stood Claude von Riegan. His eyes sparkled mischievously, and his smile widened at the sight of Byleth.

"Good to see you, Teach. Why don't you come in for some tea and we can get right to studying?" Before Byleth could even answer, Claude grabbed him by the hand and pulled him into his drawing room.

"Here, pull up a chair and have a seat. I've got the kettle going right now. It should be done any minute now." Claude typically was charming and energetic in class, and Byleth could see that outside of class, he was no different. Byleth took the seat he was offered. Claude rushed to the kettle, preparing the tea and bringing it out on a tray and setting it down in front of him.

"Don't have any snacks to go with this, I'm afraid," he said, scratching his cheek, a nervous tic.

"I'm not very hungry anyway," Byleth replied, adding three cubes of sugar to his tea, stirring thoughtfully. He supposed they might as well get straight to the point.

"What exactly do you need help studying with?" he questioned, eyebrow arched. Claude blushed, the color brightening his face up even more.

"Well, it's something I have heard about, but I have no expertise in. I was hoping you'd be able to teach me?" The mischievousness had vanished from his eyes and was now filled with something oddly familiar, but Byleth had no idea what it was.

"You know that I am happy to help, Claude, but you must be less vague and narrow it down," he said, taking a soft sip of tea. It was an unfamiliar taste, somewhat harsh in his mouth, but the sugar helped. It might be a tea of Claude's own making, which explained quite a lot. Nevertheless, Byleth swallowed, hoping his face didn't change too noticeably. Claude finally sat down and almost immediately began fidgeting in his seat. This behavior was not uncommon for him, but seeing this outside of the classroom was odd. Byleth put his cup down, leaning into a more attentive pose.

"Claude? Is there something the matter? I may not be able to do much, but I will try to help you as best as I can. You are my student and I-" Byleth cut himself off. He cleared his throat, trying again.

"I care very deeply for you, so whatever is causing this sudden shift in behavior, I'd like to know what's causing it."

"You." It was faint, and Byleth wasn't sure he had heard correctly.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" he asked. He swore he could feel every beat of his heart at that moment.

"I sad that you are the reason I am acting so strangely, Teach. I am sure you have noticed when I lean on you for perhaps too long and when I brush against your hand much more often than I ought," Claude murmured, his eyes cast downward.

"I'm not supposed to feel this way about anyone and yet… I do. I feel this feeling so strongly, and I know what it must be, but I have not felt it ever before, and I have to know if what I feel is true." Byleth did not say anything for a moment, his head piecing together what his heart already knew.

"Are you saying that you have a crush on me, Claude?" he inquired. At this, Claude stood up quite forcefully, taking Byleth aback.

"It is not some silly schoolyard crush. I think I'm in love with you," he confessed, his body relaxing as if a heavy burden had been lifted. "I want to know if you are in love with me too." Byleth's heart leaped in his chest at the confession, knowing that his feelings are returned.

"The answer to your question is yes. I am in love with you as well, Claude." The lord looked up, and that mischevious twinkle returned.

"I had hoped so. I had wanted it to be true for so long. I didn't want to impose my feelings onto you, so I tried to be subtle. We aren't promised tomorrow, so I knew eventually I'd have to confess. I quite suddenly received this burst of confidence and invited you on a date disguised as a study session," Claude smiled, the energy returning to his body.

"Every time your hand touched mine, I thought I'd faint from the way it made my heart start beating," Byleth admitted, cheeks turning a rosy pink.

"If I may," Claude said, gently taking Byleth's hand into his. The softness of the touch nearly made Byleth swoon, leaning into it, almost touch starved. He could feel warmth blossoming from his hands, weaving its way to warm his heart.

"It's nice actually to hold your hand," Claude murmured, staring at their intertwined fingers.

"There's something else I'd like to try, if I may be so bold," Byleth whispered, tilting Claude's head up with his free hand. He leaned in, their lips meeting for the first time and certainly not for the last. Byleth felt as if he and Claude had invented electricity, the kiss sending sparks up his spine. Too soon after, the two broke apart. The smile on both their faces matched perfectly.

"What would you say to studying this new subject?" Byleth asked. Claude's hand tightened its grip on Byleth's.

"I would be most interested, Teach," he smirked, moving closer to his professor. Byleth was quite looking forward to what their future had in store for them.

_The ring on his finger served as a reminder of the love he had known. _


End file.
